Google Fiber to tangle with AT&T and Midco in Kansas

Google Fiber will be locking horns with AT&T and Midco in Lawrence, Kansas, next year after the city passed an ordinance clearing the operator to build fiber there.

GFiber, as it's now branded, has started the design and engineering process and expects to start construction next year, Rachel Merlo, head of government and community affairs for GFiber's central region, explained in this blog post. "Service will be available to our first customers in Lawrence by the end of 2025," she added.

GFiber did not elaborate on the extent of its planned buildout there. Lawrence, home to the University of Kansas, has a population of more than 94,000 residents and over 41,000 households, according to US Census Bureau data.

Per the Lawrence Journal-World, the agreement paves the way for GFiber to pay the city $4.20 per quarter per residential subscriber, with "slightly higher rates" for businesses that take services from GFiber.

Google Fiber currently offers a handful of data tiers, including its entry-level 1 Gbit/s offering for $70 per month on up to 8 Gbit/s for $150 per month. GFiber offers up to 20 Gbit/s in select markets, and recently teamed with Nokia to test out 50G PON technologies.

Competing with incumbents

The move into Lawrence ties into GFiber's broader expansion plan. Markets recently added to GFiber's buildout list include Wilmington, North Carolina; Las Vegas; and Jefferson City, Missouri.

Related:Google Fiber and Nokia take 50G PON for a spin

The coming buildout will also pit GFiber against incumbent wireline broadband operators such as AT&T and Midco.

AT&T is in the midst of fiber network upgrades across a portion of its footprint and counts Lawrence as one of the markets where it offers Internet Air, its relatively new fixed wireless access (FWA) product. T-Mobile also sells its 5G Home Internet service in the area.

Midco, meanwhile, is now pushing ahead with a $30 million "Fiber Forward" initiative in the Lawrence area.

That program includes a mix of hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) and fiber-to-the-premises upgrades, Pao Lo, Midco's VP of engineering, told Light Reading via email. Some of that work includes enhancements to the DOCSIS 3.1 network – something that Lo refers to as DOCSIS 3.1 "stretch."

GFiber's entry into Lawrence doesn't alter Midco's approach to design or architecture there, "though some things may get accelerated to complete early," Lo said.

"With DOCSIS 3.1 and FTTP, I believe we will be competitive," he added. "It will then come down to execution and delivering the best customer experience."